Walking around St. Augustine can be a great way to get exercise, enjoy the sunny Florida weather, and see some of the scenery in the city, but there are a number of risks that come with this activity, as well. Unfortunately, St. Augustine, as well as many other Florida cities, is not optimized for pedestrian traffic, meaning that vehicles take precedent on the roads and there is limited infrastructure meant to protect those who travel on foot from being hurt by cars.
If you have been involved in a pedestrian accident in St. Augustine, it is important that you partner with a St. Augustine personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. The team at Fasig | Brooks is available for an initial consultation as soon as possible so that we can help you make sense of your situation and get the support that you need to move forward with a successful insurance claim.
Read more below about why it is so important to hire an attorney after a pedestrian accident and contact us as soon as possible to schedule your initial consultation so that we can speak about the specifics of your unique situation.
What To Do After a Pedestrian Accident in St. Augustine
After any accident, you should make sure that you get the care and attention that you need in order to tend to your injuries and facilitate a full recovery. This starts from the moment that you are in the accident, even during the panic and adrenaline of those first moments. The following are some general steps to keep in mind in order to get the care that you need and to work towards getting the compensation you deserve when someone else is responsible for your injuries.
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Get Away From Additional Danger
If possible, get yourself out of the road or out of the way of oncoming traffic to avoid a second accident. However, if you think that you have suffered injuries to your spine or neck it is important that you do not move until medical professionals are on the scene, lest you do more damage to your body and worsen your injuries.
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Call 911
It might sometimes feel like you are overreacting by calling 911 after an accident, and too often people choose not to make this call in order to not make things more difficult. This can be especially easy after an injury when your body is full of adrenaline and you have not yet realized the full extent of your injuries. Calling 911 means that you will have an accident report completed by a police officer from St. Augustine Police Department, you will get on-site medical care from EMTs, and the fire department will be able to address any additional hazards.
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Get Additional Medical Attention
If you take an ambulance to the emergency room, then you do not need to visit your primary care physician immediately. However, if you leave the accident on your own the first thing that you should do is schedule a visit with your doctor in order to have your injuries looked at and to establish an official record of your condition. If you do not have proof of your injuries, the insurance company will push back on paying for them.
Hire a St. Augustine Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
You have a limited number of days to file an insurance claim, so oftentimes people will skip this step and file on their own. When you file an insurance claim, the adjuster assigned to your case immediately goes into action to find every possible reason to limit your settlement amount. When you have an attorney handling your claim from the first step, they will be able to protect you from making innocent mistakes that could ultimately lead to the insurance company successfully pinning more blame on you than is necessary, or finding other ways to reduce your settlement amount.
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The award-winning attorneys at Fasig | Brooks understand that the days and weeks following a pedestrian accident can be emotional and overwhelming, which is why we are so proud to help victims of these accidents get the money they need while helping them keep their stress as low as possible about the legal process. Stress plays a significant role in wound recovery, so the more stress you can offload to our firm, the better chance you will have of making a strong recovery.
We know what needs to be done to facilitate a fair settlement